What's next for the I-805 makeover?

Readers also asking about I-5/Genesee Avenue upgrades

The first phase of the project was building one carpool (high occupancy vehicle (HOV), lane in each direction along an eight-mile portion of I-805 from East Naples Street in Chula Vista to State Route 94 in San Diego.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

The first phase of the project was building one carpool (high occupancy vehicle (HOV), lane in each direction along an eight-mile portion of I-805 from East Naples Street in Chula Vista to State Route 94 in San Diego.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

Q: What is the plan for South County's I-805 carpool lanes? Is there a timeframe on when they will start the next phase from the 94 merge up north?

— David A. Huntington, Chula Vista

A: In March, Caltrans opened the first set of diamond lanes in South County, an eight-mile corridor along Interstate 805 from East Naples Street in Chula Vista to State Route 94 in San Diego. It includes one HOV lane in each direction, and it’s the first step in a $1.4 billion makeover of the crowded freeway. Some have complained that the first phase hasn’t done enough to chip away at 805 gridlock, especially near the 94 junction.

Yes, I already do
24% (12)

Yes, but infrequently
24% (12)

No, they don't work for me
51% (25)

49 total votes.

While upgrades are in the works, that rush-hour bottleneck is bound to hang around for at least a few years. That’s because construction on a three-mile extension of the HOV lanes, from Route 94 to Interstate 15, isn’t planned to start until 2016 at the earliest, according to Caltrans officials. That date depends on when the agency can secure the estimated $230 million needed for the project. It would include a direct HOV ramp between the 805 and 15 and take about two years to build.

That extension will help carpoolers headed north of 94. But it won’t solve the 805/94 traffic tangle for motorists in the regular lanes. A direct HOV lane connector between 805 and 94, plus future carpool lanes on 94, will do more to tackle that problem, Caltrans says. Those upgrades must still go through a lengthy environmental review process and are several years from breaking ground.

There is some good news in the near-term further south on 805. By early 2015, Caltrans says it will open a long-awaited transit station, park and ride and direct access ramp to the HOV lanes at East Palomar Street in Chula Vista.

Q: Several readers have asked: What’s being done to improve the traffic-heavy Genesee Avenue interchange at Interstate 5?

A: Caltrans had planned to start rebuilding that headache-of-a-junction by late 2013. Last fall, however, it postponed plans due to higher than expected construction bids for the $94 million project. On Monday, a spokesman said a ground-breaking is now tentatively set for early 2015. Caltrans is reevaluating the scope of the initial blueprints, which called for replacing the Genesee overpass with a new 10-lane bridge (double the current number of lanes). Space for bike lanes and sidewalks were also included in the early plans. The project would also widen the junction’s freeway ramps, which provide access to UC San Diego and four nearby hospitals. Caltrans said it hopes to award a construction contract this fall.

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